Chapter 492

News of Carissa's anger toward Heather reached Helen. After calling Lulu for details, Helen was furious.

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"Who wouldn't be infuriated by such behavior? It's only because Carissa is younger that she tolerates Lady Heather. If I were there, I'd have slapped her a few times myself! Hurry, get the kitchen chefs to prepare some sweet treats—no, better yet, buy an assortment of pastries from the capital's best bakery. Cheer Carissa up. Don't let her stay angry and make herself ill over such spineless people. It's not worth ruining her health over them."

Helen's maid, Mindy, prepared to buy the treats, but Violet said, "I'll go. I'm quicker."

"Yes, you should go, Violet," Helen said anxiously. She had seen her daughter-in-law angry before, but this time, Carissa's frustration with Heather was inexpressible. It was similar to Helen's extreme annoyance with her sister, Victoria, which she dared not show. However, it wasn't quite the same. Victoria was reasonable and had Helen's best interests at heart, unlike Heather, who didn't even care about her own daughter.

Even after returning to Orchid Hall, Carissa remained fuming. Was their humility due to fear of being sent to their fief? Were they willing to discard a prince's dignity and let Leona suffer? Carissa couldn't understand. People said a mother should be strong, but Heather was weaker than most. Her parents' weakness contributed to Leona's meek nature, leaving her unable to stand firm even as a duchess.

As Carissa fumed, she heard footsteps. Looking up, she saw Violet entering with Helen. Violet carried a red box.

Carissa stood and asked, "Mother, what brings you here?"

Violet placed the box on the table and smiled. "Lady Helen was worried you'd make yourself ill. She asked me to get pastries from the capital's best bakery. A little sweetness will lift your spirits."

Violet opened the box, revealing pastries superior even to the kitchen chef's.

Carissa chuckled, touched by the gesture. She took a pastry. Despite her frustration, she nodded and smiled when Helen asked if it was good.

"It's delicious."

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The pastries weren't rare—Helen's thoughtfulness was valuable. Seeing her daughter-in-law smile, Helen grinned. "There's no point getting worked up over someone like that. She's spineless. So what if they're sent to their fief? Life there would be more carefree. Living like this, barely scraping by, is worse!"

"Their life in the capital isn't great either. They live submissively, never daring to challenge even an earl's household," Violet added, equally perplexed.

"Besides," Helen continued, "a cold, desolate fief isn't terrible. Didn't her father, General Jominic, spend half his life stationed there? And when a prince goes to a fief, he's far from the king's reach. Life there is freer and more enjoyable. With money and rank, it's living in indulgence."

Carissa explained, "It's not that simple. Once at their fief, they can't return to the capital without summons. Though the king is lenient, going to a remote fief means leaving the capital's power circles. Prince Harvey has other children, and he naturally wants them to find suitors in the capital. But with their reputations, what good matches can they hope for?"

Seeing her daughter-in-law's expression darken, Helen quickly said, "Forget those people. Dwelling on them only drains you."

The revised passage corrects grammatical errors, improves sentence structure, and clarifies ambiguous phrasing. It also removes the unnecessary repetition and inconsistencies present in the original.